


Love and the Horsebow Moon

by Kuzuriolu



Series: Ocean's Breeze [2]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Birthday, Children, Domestic Fluff, F/F, Fluff, Girls in Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:41:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26343544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kuzuriolu/pseuds/Kuzuriolu
Summary: It's Petra's birthday, and Dorothea and the children have been hard at work making her the perfect gift...
Relationships: Dorothea Arnault/Petra Macneary
Series: Ocean's Breeze [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1914241
Comments: 7
Kudos: 34





	Love and the Horsebow Moon

**Author's Note:**

> Happy birthday, Petra! 
> 
> This fanfiction is part of my Love and the Ocean's Breeze series, but set around six years in the future. In case you haven't read my other fanfiction, Eithne and Caoimhe are their twin daughters. Cairbre is their son, but he's not in Love and the Ocean's Breeze and probably won't be for a while since that's much further down the road. 
> 
> As with my other fanfiction, dialogue in italics means its being spoken in Brigaeli. If you're wondering why the children keep switching between languages, it's because they speak to Petra in Brigaeli and Dorothea in Fódlanese, which is a technique for children who are being raised bilingual. At this point, Dorothea can understand Brigaeli almost perfectly.

**The Seventh Day of the Horsebow Moon, Imperial Year 1194**

As the ever brightly-shining Brigid sun beamed down through a gap in the curtains, Petra Macneary finally woke to the sounds of chattering outside her bedroom door. Dreary eyes blinked as she pulled herself up and rubbed her temples. She was used to rising at the crack of dawn, just when the sun had begun to bid the stars in the sky a farewell, so that she could grab her bow and arrows and catch the morning pheasants for a hearty breakfast. Her head buzzed lightly, for she was not used to such a long slumber. The feeling of lazing about was not one that Petra liked much, but she could allow herself to indulge in some relaxation every once in a while,  _ especially _ for her birthday.

“Mommy, is Mama awake yet?” a tiny voice asked from the hallway.

“Can you wake her up, Mommy?” another one piped up, “I wanna give her the presents! Please, Mommy?”

“Now now, my darlings. I’m going to check and see, all right? Now hush, your Mama works hard and deserves a long rest…”

The door creaked open just a tad bit, and through the crack, an emerald green eye inspected the room. 

“Petra?” Dorothea called out to her wife. Noticing that she had roused from her slumber, she pushed the door open fully, revealing her form clad in a gorgeous silk Brigid dress that comfortably fit her slightly swollen abdomen. Her hair was tied back into a single long braid that snaked over her shoulders, a style she now wore every single day, and upon her face was a smile as radiant as the sun itself. “Oh good, you’re awake! Did you sleep well, my love?”

“I—”

Before Petra could answer the question, two young girls came barreling through the door and threw themselves onto the bed as fast as flying arrows. They bounced up and down upon the plush mattress on their knees with grins from ear to ear. 

“Eithne, Caoimhe!” Petra greeted her two daughters with a small laugh. She was still fighting off the aftereffects of such a lengthy slumber, and was not fully prepared for such wild energy. Her twin girls were now five years old—almost six—and they were full of curiosity and enthusiasm for the world around them. They were constantly begging for her to take them on hunting trips and to teach them all the tricks of the trade, and whenever they did, it took awhile for them to snag any game with how noisy and excited the children were. 

“ _ Happy birthday, Mama _ _!_ ” Caoimhe shouted at the top of her lungs. 

“ _ Happy birthday, Mama _ _!_ ” Eithne chimed in, quieter than her younger sister but still considerably loud. 

“ _ Thank you, my girls _ ,” Petra laughed. She shrugged off the effects of sleep and pulled them both in for a tight hug, which was met with lots of giggles from both girls. They happily snuggled into their mother’s embrace and beamed up at her.

“ _ Guess what, Mama? I fed the wyverns this morning, all by myself _ _!_ ” Caoimhe bragged with a boastful grin.

“ _ Did you now _ _?_ ” Petra asked.

“ _ I thought Mommy went with _you_ _ _?”_ Eithne added on, looking puzzled.

“ _ Mommy came by to watch me, but I was the one who gave all the food to the wyverns! _ ” Caoimhe elaborated, looking thoroughly proud of her accomplishment. “ _ Even Brendan! He tried to hide at first, but when I gave him some food, he got really happy and even let me pet his snout! _ ” 

After hunting, Petra would stop by her wyvern barn and deliver them breakfast consisting of scraps and entrails from her hunts. Originally, she had housed just her trusty wyvern who had returned to Brigid with her after the war, but soon she had started to purchase more and more wyverns from Fódlan with the hopes of introducing the previously unknown species to her country. The children had taken a liking to the wyverns, particularly Caoimhe, who had made it her goal to befriend each and every one of them. It seemed that Dorothea had made sure that all her daily chores had been taken care of for the day, a thought that made her sigh with relief. As much as she enjoyed all her daily tasks, it was nice to have a break.

“ _ Good job, Caoimhe! _ ” praised Petra, “ _ you are becoming very good at taking care of the wyverns. Maybe one day I will give you one of your own…” _

Caoimhe looked pleased with such an idea. “ _ I wanted to try flying with one of the wyverns, but Mommy—”  _ she suddenly stopped as she looked towards the entrance where her mother had been standing, finding it empty. “ _...Where’s Mommy?” _

“ _ Mommy went to get Cairbre and the presents, _ ” Eithne explained calmly.

“ _ —Oh yeah, the presents! _ ” Caoimhe’s eyes went wide with excitement. “ _ Mama is going to love my present the most! I worked super, super hard on it! _ ”

“ _ So did I!” _ Eithne argued back. 

“ _ Yeah, but mine is better _ —”

“Girls!” Dorothea’s voice interrupted the both of them. Both young children ceased their bickering and turned towards the doorway to look at their mother, who was cradling a small wooden box in one arm and holding onto a little boy’s hand with the other. “No arguing today, all right? It’s your mother’s birthday, after all, and all of us worked hard on these presents!”

“Yes, Mommy,” agreed both girls in unison, and hung their heads in shame.

Petra released her daughters from their seemingly never ending hug and adjusted herself so that her back was perfectly straight against the back frame of her bed. She folded both arms upon her lap and ran her gaze over the box that Dorothea held. It was made with white birch and sealed shut with a tiny golden lock, prompting Petra to speculate on its contents. In previous years, Dorothea had procured various jewelry for her handmade by the finest craftsmen in all of Brigid, but given that it had been a collaborative effort with her children, she knew to discount that idea. Whatever it was, Petra was certain she was going to cherish it.

“Cairbre, can you tell your Mama ‘Happy Birthday’ before we give her the present?” Dorothea gently asked her small son.

The three-year-old boy chewed upon the tip of his free thumb as he curiously stared at his mother and older sister with his bright green eyes. He temporarily withdrew it and nodded. “Happy birthday, Mama,” he uttered out in Fódlanese. 

“ _ Thank you, my little Cairbre! _ ” replied Petra, “ _ did you help your Mommy and sisters with the present as well? _ ”

“ _ Yeah, _ ” he answered, this time in Brigaeli, “ _ it was lots of fun.”  _

“ _ Good! I cannot wait to see what you have made me, my dearest children. _ ”

Dorothea delicately hoisted Cairbre up in her arms and placed him upon the bed with his sisters, who scrambled to join his side. All three children watched impatiently as Dorothea presented the box to Petra, who happily and carefully accepted the present. She placed it upon her lap and ran a finger over its exterior, enjoying the feeling of the soft wood that had been carved flawlessly. “I am quite fond of this box, Dorothea. I would not mind if this was my gift,” joked Petra.

“Well, it certainly can be part of it!” laughed Dorothea. Her hand slipped downward to carefully cradle her growing stomach as her body heaved with giggles. “But I think you’ll much prefer what’s inside.”

“Open it, Mama!” demanded Caoimhe.

“Yeah, open it!” Eithne agreed.

“Alright, alright, I will open it now,” Petra assured the girls. “One, two, three…”

Without further ado, Petra clicked open the tiny lock and slowly opened her present. When her eyes settled on what lay within, she gasped lightly. Sitting upon a blue velvet cushion were four wooden fishing lures, each one hand-carved into the shape of a fish and painted in a wide array of colors. The first was a gradient of oranges, yellows, and pinks resembling that of a settling sun, each color blending together seamlessly with expert craftsmanship. The second was stripes of blue and green that had been painted trembling brushstrokes that were far from perfect, but exceptional given that it had most likely been done by a five-year-old girl. The third was a wild combination of splatters consisting of just about every single color of the rainbow, some overlapping one another. The final lure had been sloppily painted a cool blue and dotted with random purple and yellow splotches that did not contrast well and decorated with a wide black smile that nearly stretched for a quarter of its length. 

Petra’s heart felt as though it was going to melt in her chest with happiness at the sight of such lovely, thoughtful gifts. A wide grin broke out across her entire face. Her cherished family had come together to create these just for  _ her _ .

“ _ Do you like it, Mama _ ?” Caoimhe asked eagerly, “ _ I made mine really colorful ‘cuz all the colors were super pretty! _ ”

“ _ I only picked two because I didn’t want it to be too bright _ ,” Eithne explained, “ _ you like mine too, right, Mama _ ?”

Petra felt a warm tear swell in her eye, which did not take long to trickle down her face. Her throat trembled with laughter as she nodded frantically. “ _ I… I love them _ ,” she breathed out. She had not been expecting to get so very  _ emotional _ , but how could she not? As the queen of Brigid, she had all the money in the country to buy herself the most luxurious gifts she could imagine, but no sparkling jewels nor lavish dresses could compare to the joy of a homemade present made by her beloved family.

“I’m so glad! It was actually Byleth’s idea to make fishing lures. I spent moons practicing my wood carving skills!” reminisced Dorothea as she caressed her pregnant belly. “I also painted the first one, and I helped Cairbre paint his too, but just a bit.”

“You carved these?” Petra hadn’t even suspected that her wife had been learning to carve! 

“I did! It took a  _ lot _ of trial and error, but there’s tons of books here in Brigid about woodcarving. It was a lot of fun. Maybe I’ll keep practicing and see what else I can make,” Dorothea mulled. 

“I would be liking it greatly if you did!” Petra encouraged, “these are wonderful, my Dorothea, and the children did such a good job of painting them…” Gently, she ran her fingers across each lure, feeling each bump in the wood. She already cherished all of them with all of her heart, and she almost felt afraid to use them, for she would not want a fish to take off with such precious gifts from her family. However, she knew that would be a waste of all the effort they had put into creating such gifts for her. 

Caoimhe leaned over and pointed towards the one she had painted, with all the crazy colors. “ _ Mama, can you please catch a huge fish with mine? _ ” she requested with wide, pleading eyes.

“ _ I want to go fishing too _ !” Eithne added in, “ _ Mama, can we go on a fishing trip? _ ”

Petra could only laugh at her daughters’ enthusiasm. “ _ Of course, my darlings, we will have to go on a fishing trip soon. Maybe I can show Cairbre how to hold a rod as well. It is never too early to learn to fish. _ ”

Cairbre looked up at the mention of his name, as he had been distracted by the fishing lures.  _ “Fish... _ ” he muttered to himself thoughtfully, “ _ I wanna hold a fish _ ...”

Petra reached over and ruffled her little son’s burgundy hair endearingly. “ _ I suppose we will have to begin planning! But oh, not before we start planning what we’re going to do for your Mommy’s birthday… _ ”

At that comment, Caoimhe’s eyes lit up. “ _ Ooh, Mama, Mama, I have an idea! _ ” she hollered out. She wasted no time in climbing over to plop herself down next to her mother’s shoulder, and leaned in to her ear to whisper: “ _ a kitty!” _

“ _ Caoimhe, dear, we talked about this. We cannot have a cat just yet!”  _ Petra replied back, not bothering to keep her voice low. “ _ You are getting another sibling, it is not the right time to introduce a cat to the family as well. _ ”

Caoimhe looked visibly disappointed. “ _ But Mama, I want a kitty, not a new sibling! I already have Eithne AND Cairbre! Can we trade the baby for a kitty, please? Pretty please? _ ” Her pink eyes gleamed with childish hope as she pleaded to her mother.

To that, Petra just shook her head. “ _ No Caoimhe, but I am sure we can come up with another, just as exciting idea to surprise your Mommy…” _

Caoimhe sighed, defeated. Normally, the little girl would pester her over and over again, but perhaps she was being lenient so as not to disturb her mother’s special day. “ _ Fine… _ ” she grumbled.

“Well, dears,” Dorothea interjected before Caoimhe’s mood could fall sufficiently, “your mother’s birthday is only just beginning, and she still hasn’t eaten breakfast! Wasn’t there something you wanted to give her to eat, girls?”

“Oh yeah!” Caoimhe remembered, “let’s go get it now! C’mon, Eithne, c’mon! Cairbre comes too!” Immediately, she leapt off the bed like a pouncing tiger and rushed for the exit.

“Okay, okay, I’m coming!” Eithne shouted. She helped her little brother off the bed and took his hand in hers before hurrying to follow her much more energetic younger sister, who had likely already made it halfway down the hallway. She did not bother to say goodbye to her parents as she left the room.

Dorothea watched over her shoulder and chuckled lightly, shaking her head. “I should probably make sure they don’t get into any trouble,” she remarked, “but before I do…”

“Hm…?”

Dorothea slid onto their bed and settled next to her wife. She gingerly took hold of her chin and leaned in to press a warm kiss to her beloved’s lips. Petra eagerly reciprocated, perhaps more enthusiastically than she had intended, sighing as she melted against Dorothea. As Dorothea’s stomach brushed against her own, she felt a brief movement within, and curved her lips into a grin. When they pulled apart, they looked deeply into one another’s eyes, almost losing themselves in each other’s gaze. To think that years ago, Petra had thought that her marriage to Dorothea would never be, and now, they were happily married with three beautiful children and another on the way… certainly, the lures were lovely, but family was the best gift she had ever been given.

“Happy birthday, my beloved,” whispered Dorothea against Petra’s lips. “I hope it’s a good one.”

“My dearest, every birthday with my family is a wonderful one. I cannot wait to be sharing the rest of it with all of you…” 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for those who read, and thank you to those who've kept up with my series thus far! There will be a Part Two to this particular fanfiction for Dorothea's birthday, which is at the end of this month. In the future, I may publish more fanfictions set in of the Ocean's Breeze universe. I have a particular fanfic I've been working on that takes place much later, but I wrote it mostly for myself and I'm not sure if people would be interested in it... but maybe I'm wrong. Anyways, please leave a comment and/or a kudo if you liked it! Bye for now.


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